Cairo January 29, 2013

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), denounces the judgments and decision issued by the public prosecutions and courts of Bahrain against some protesters and activists on the background of their participation the peaceful demonstrations to express their opinions freely and peacefully.

The court of Cassation upheld, on Monday January 28, 2013, the judgment issued against “Sedeqa El-Basry” to imprison her for six months and 20 days. She was arrested in April 2011, during “the period of national peace” (Emergency Law”, while she was passing by a check-point as the security men swore at her and arrested her on charges of “not obeying the orders and inciting on the hatred of the regime in addition to assembly and riot”. Ten days later she was released and sent to the military court in June 2011, which issued the judgment in June 21, 2011 of imprisoning her with a bail of 200 Dinar to be released with the continuation of the appeal.

In June 29, 2011, the case was sent to a usual court which set a date of the trial before the major court of appeal II in February 6, 2012. During the second hearing the court issued its judgment of imprisoning Sedeqa El-Basry for 6 months in the first of March 2012, despite the court witnessed many of the legal violations such as not giving the chance to plead before the court.

In a related context, the public prosecution imprisoned 28 protesters for 45 days on investigation on the background of participating the peaceful demonstration that took place in Manama on Friday January 25, 2013. The public prosecution decided on Saturday 26 January to imprison 15 protesters for 45 days due to their participation in the same demonstration as the public prosecution pressed the charges of assembly and participating in unauthorized march to 43 protesters in addition to non-obeying the authorities when they were asked to be dispersed, while the activist “Nader Abdulemam” was accused of inciting the unauthorized marches.

ANHRI said that “the upholding the judgments issued by the court against her, is deemed to be a persistence in the mockery trials witnessed by Bahrain recently which proves that the judicial authorities are politicized. It proves also that the judgments issued against the activists aren’t different from the judgments of the exceptional national safety. The most significant example is the upheld of the judgments against the group of national figures or what are known in the media by group “21”, when the dropped the terrorize charges which were pressed against them which should drop all the charges pressed on them as well”.

ANHRI said that the persistence of the protesters and imprison them on the investigations, is a serious violations to the freedom of opinion and expression in addition to the right that was granted by all the international treaties and charters.

ANHRI called on the authorities to immediately release the prisoners of opinion in the Bahraini prisons and drop all the charges pressed on them and among them “Sadeqa El-Basry”.
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